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Introduction to Linux - A Hands on Guide

This guide was created as an overview of the Linux Operating System, geared toward new users as an exploration tour and getting started guide, with exercises at the end of each chapter.
For more advanced trainees it can be a desktop reference, and a collection of the base knowledge needed to proceed with system and network administration. This book contains many real life examples derived from the author's experience as a Linux system and network administrator, trainer and consultant. They hope these examples will help you to get a better understanding of the Linux system and that you feel encouraged to try out things on your own.

i have a cheap-arse employer who doesn't provide any data backup for us. so i've setup my own very simple server with ubuntu 10.04 (no raid).
from my linux desktop i want to backup to my file server.
from my file server i configured samba to allow me to access my data from the many Windows PCs in the place.
I also have a USB drive for when i go home or to another building.

most of my work happens on my linux desktop. so i use rsync to 'backup' from there to the file server.
can i use rsync to keep my usb drive also sync'ed? in the same command?

when i access files on my file server from a Windows PC via samba, and change something, will rsync pick up that change on the server, and migrate the changes back to my linux desktop?

I don't know if rsync does that level of synchronization (automatically synchronize on changes). Have a look at Unison, I use it in a production environment between multiple servers to synchronize configuration files and documents. Works like a charm and is pretty easy to set up.

And while unison is a better choice for this than rsync I
think you need to redevelop your strategy; you're a) causing
double the network traffic with your pull/push via workstation,
and b) you're making a workstation a single point of failure.

Having a service account on the server and pulling the data
from the server directly makes much more sense.

And while unison is a better choice for this than rsync I
think you need to redevelop your strategy; you're a) causing
double the network traffic with your pull/push via workstation,
and b) you're making a workstation a single point of failure.

Having a service account on the server and pulling the data
from the server directly makes much more sense.

Cheers,
Tink

I don't really trust the server hardware: it's just an old workstation PC with no redundancy (i.e. one HDD, no RAID). I figured that having my linux desktop synchronised with that server would at least provide some redundancy.

I'm not really sure what you're suggesting otherwise. Do you mean, just have the server work as the main storage? I'd still need to back it up somewhere (and that's why I have it synching back to my linux workstation).